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pending a hand up: School tutors suspended students
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tfjiurn page 1
Tony and is the youngest of
jfce three. He received a 10-day
J&ispension for carrying a boot
ftife on the school bus.
The boys in Madison's
jDass represent some of the
??19 students who have been
<Qispended since the sixth
Oonth of the 1996-97 calendar
jCear. Though LIFT's regular
gudent population is currently
ijt break, the three are allowed
'ij> take classes^ during their
ijvort-term suspensions..
X. In Forsyth county last
ipmester, minority students
^presented 82 percent of out
JwC-school suspensions, down
m last year when almost 90
percent of those suspensions
J&fcnt predominantly African
jtpierican students.
Alternative learning assign
ments to schools like Indepen
dence and Petree were cut in
Half this year: 182 as compared
Sj>- last year's 323 students were
Unsigned out. Out-of-school
suspensions overall, though,
Jwve risen by almost 50 per
Wnt.
Middle schools reported
jig: highest number of suspen
Japns, but all schools share a
jjqmmon denominator: repeat
Offenders. "There are far more
<Hidents who are doing the
ftht thing," said John Beaty,
principal of Ashley Middle
?$?hool. Parkland High School
fefincipal James Brandon
tggreed with Beaty. "Ninety per
iiCnt of these kids do what
jney're supposed to," said
jjtrandon. "That's why I don't
set upset with kids."
Ashley and Parkland have
9ie highest percentages of sus
pension for their levels: 26.22
Mat of an average 16.67 percent
tfad 27.12 out of 19.35, respec
tively. Brandon said that these
numbers reflect a perception
that there are "good" schools
and "bad" schools.
"We are the ugly stepsis
ters," said Brandon of his
school and others located
within the city limits. He feels
that the media coverage tends
to cast Parkland in a bad light,
while focusing positively on
schools like West Forsyth.
Winston-Salem Forsyth
County Schools Superintendent
Don Martin thinks that eco
nomic background, rather than
race, defines those students
who are repeatedly suspended.
"In this county, there are
more African Americans on
[the] free and reduced lunch
[program]," said Martin. "It's
more a function of that than
anything else." He pointed out
that suspensions for white
males have risen 81 percent in
the past two years, compared to
65 percent with black males,
and added that there is no room
for biased teachers or adminis
trators in the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
"I guarantee you, there's
nobody who gets up to come to
school to try to suspend kids,"
said Martin.
The stricter policy adopted
this year accounts for the 47
percent rise in all out-of-school
suspensions. Martin calls the
policy an "equalizer" in terms
of discipline, in that there are
guidelines set for every school
to follow.
While the majority of ele
mentary students are suspended
for aggressive behavior such as
fighting, middle and high
school students usually get in
trouble for disruptive behavior
and rule violation.
Excessive tardiness may
fall under the category of dis
ruptive behavior. The cycle of
misbehavior that may lead to
suspension, Parkland's Bran
don explained, begins with a
minor infraction, such as tardi
ness. Students are then
assigned to a lunchtime deten
tion. If a student fails to appear
for that detention, he or she is ,
then ordered to stay after
school. If the student skips
after-school detention, he or
she must attend school on Sat
urday.
When the student misses
Saturday detention, a more
serious punishment may be
called for, such as suspension.
Parkland is trying to
change this approach. "On
paper we look good, but in
reality we haven't done much
to help kids," said Brandon,
adding that Parkland's suspen
sions are down since the last
reporting.
Brandon feels that ulti
mately, it is the parents'
responsibility to discipline the
students. "We do kids an injus
tice when we let kids go
through the world and let them
find ways of getting out of
things," he said.
Most educators agree _
that students of parents who
are involved in the school
usually don't become repeat (
offenders, and students get
lost in the communication
gulf between the school and j
the home. "There is a break
down someplace," said Ash
ley's Beaty.
LIFT Academy's founder
and executive director. Ear
line Parmon, doesn't allow
that gulf to begin. "When -
students attend school here at
LIFT, it is voluntarily," said
Parmon. LIFT students cannot
be suspended ? if they are
violently disruptive in class,
they are sent home and told to
return with a parent. Parmon
said that students always
return, sometimes even within
the same day.
"Students are aware this is
their reprieve," she said. Stu
dents are also charged with
finding their own way to
school, as LIFT doesn't pro
vide transportation.
The three students on
short-term suspension each say
that this is his first suspension.
Tony thinks that the schools
need to ease up on out-of
school suspensions. "They
should give you a chance," he
said.
All three agreed that once
they were suspended, many
teachers treat those students as
more prone to trouble-making
than others. "That's just the
way it is," said Chris, and
Vashon added that teachers
should leave the judgment up
to parents.
Tony compares that attitude
to what faced the late rapper
Tupac Shakur. Shakur garnered
a reputation for being a
"gangsta," serving time in jail
after becoming famous, and
perpetuating the East Coast
West Coast hip-hop rift. A
young man believed to have
gang affiliations was recently
charged with the October 1996 I
murder of Shakur.
Shakur has also been por- I
trayed as a gentle person with
an amazing talent. "He was i
grounded for life," said Tony of 1
the hype surrounding Shakur's l
life. "He was smart but he i
didn't make the right deci- I
sions." i
Parmon hopes she can help
her students made the right s
decisions. Before LIFT's incep- t
tion in 1982, Parmon worked :
part-time for the East Winston t
Community Development Cor- t
poration. She noticed that many c
of the children she worked 1
around got in trouble because <
they needed attention, so she
began making deals with them.
If they stayed with her after
school during the week and
worked on their homework, she
would take them out for a fun
activity on the weekend.
Chondella Taylor was one
of these students. "I loved it,"
she said of Parmon's early
LIFT. At the age of 9, Taylor
already knew what she wanted
to do when she grew up.
"I told her (Parmon) that I
would be her secretary," said
Taylor, laughing. She came to
work at LIFT last year and now
manages the office.
A probation officer who
knew Parmon noted that
attendance was up among
t the students she worked
with, and told her about the
Community-Based Alterna
f tives Grant, set up by the
Department of Human
Resources to reduce court
involvement among youth.
With that grant, Parmon
began receiving students
full-time.
Presently on North 17th
Street, LIFT serves 55 students
With the charter funding
recently approved by the state
board of education, Parmon
will have 160 spaces available
by July.
Though the school will
now be open to all students,
Parmon will continue the tradi
tion of serving those children
ind youth who have been
cicked out of traditional public
schools.
Chris doesn't regret his
suspension. He said, "It sort of
caches me a lesson not to do it
igain." Tony and Vashon said
hat they regretted their actions
hat got them suspended. "My
lad was upset with me," said
Tony. "I don't like to make my
lad mad."
Students on short-term suspension work in LIFT Academy's computer lab.
Most educators agree that
itudents of parents who are
involved in the school
isually don't become repea
offenders, and students get
lost in the communication
gulf between the school
and the home.
. < 1 .
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